Two Days to Go: The 24th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture

In just two days, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, in partnership with One Young World, will host the 24th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Cape Town on Friday, 6 November 2026.

This year's Lecture will be delivered by former Colombian President, 2016 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Chair of The Elders, Juan Manuel Santos, under the theme "When is silence complicity?"
More than two decades of dialogue and ideas

Established in 2003, the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture has become one of the Foundation's flagship platforms for bringing global leaders and thinkers into conversation about the most pressing challenges facing humanity.

The inaugural Lecture was delivered by former United States President Bill Clinton on 19 July 2003, coinciding with Mandela's 85th birthday. Since then, the platform has welcomed influential voices including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Wangari Maathai, Kofi Annan, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Barack Obama, António Guterres, Malala Yousafzai, Mia Mottley and Francesca Albanese.

For more than two decades, the Lecture has sought to do more than reflect on Mandela's legacy. It has challenged audiences to confront injustice; question established thinking and consider their responsibility to act.

When is silence complicity?

This year's theme draws inspiration from Mandela's 1998 address in Burkina Faso, where he challenged the use of national sovereignty to justify inaction when people face violence and oppression.

It raises important questions about political leadership, accountability and the responsibility of individuals, institutions and governments to respond to injustice.

President Santos brings a distinctive perspective to these conversations. As President of Colombia, he led efforts to negotiate an end to more than five decades of armed conflict, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. Today, he chairs The Elders, the independent group of global leaders established by Mandela in 2007 to advance peace, justice and human rights.

Join us for the Lecture

The 24th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture takes place on Friday, 6 November 2026, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Free tickets are still available, but booking is essential.

Secure your tickets on Webtickets https://bit.ly/4i2Mz0H

For audiences unable to attend in person, the Lecture will be livestreamed at 16h00 SAST on the Nelson Mandela Foundation's YouTube channel.

Watch the Lecture live https://youtube.com/@nelsonman...